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Today is World No Tobacco Day. It’s been held on 31st MAY each year since 1989, which first resoluted by World Health Organization (WHO). World No Tobacco Day is a day for raise awareness in regards to the negative health effects that tobacco use can cause. The day is observed on a global scale with the theme “Gender and tobacco with an emphasis on marketing to women” for this year, focusing on the tobacco industry and the way in which they target women and kids in their advertising.

More women throughout the world are becoming smokers as tobacco companies continue to target them through advertisements. Ahead of World No Tobacco Day 2010, GlaxoSmithKline has launched a Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Assessment Test (CAT) questionnaire.

COPD is a disease of the lungs facing difficulty to breathe. The symptoms experienced by people with COPD, such as ongoing cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, and chest tightness, can restrict them from performing simple daily activities. The CAT is a new questionnaire designed for people with COPD to measure the impact of COPD on a person’s life, and how this changes over time. The CAT is very simple to administer, and aims to help clinicians manage a patient’s COPD better.

You can take your CAT by online at HERE to check what level is your COPD. Following are the themes of World No Tobacco Day for each year since 1989:

• 2009 – Tobacco health warnings
• 2008 – Tobacco-free youth
• 2007 – Smoke free inside
• 2006 – Tobacco: deadly in any form or disguise
• 2005 – Health professionals against tobacco
• 2004 – Tobacco and poverty, a vicious circle
• 2003 – Tobacco free film, tobacco free fashion
• 2002 – Tobacco free sports
• 2001 – Second-hand smoke kills
• 2000 – Tobacco kills, don’t be duped
• 1999 – Leave the pack behind
• 1998 – Growing up without tobacco
• 1997 – United for a tobacco free world
• 1996 – Sport and art without tobacco: play it tobacco free
• 1995 – Tobacco costs more than you think
• 1994 – Media and tobacco: get the message across
• 1993 – Health services: our windows to a tobacco free world
• 1992 – Tobacco free workplaces: safer and healthier
• 1991 – Public places and transport: better be tobacco free
• 1990 – Childhood and youth without tobacco: growing up without tobacco
• 1989 – Initial observance